Games by Josh Raab

Swap Poker!

Here’s a new game I designed and programmed using Processing. It’s called Swap Poker. The objective is to end up with a better 5-card poker hand than your opponent after you’ve each taken 12 moves. Grab a friend and try it out!

A complete ruleset is below, but the basic rules are explained at the bottom of the linked page above. You can just click on the link and figure it out as you play.

It’s designed to fit onto airplane seat trays, so next time you’re going on a long flight, bring a deck and give it a shot!

Swap Poker

Swap Poker is a card game for 2 players. The objective is to have a better 5-card poker hand than your opponent at the end of the game, using your row of 6 cards.

Setup

1. Shuffle a standard deck of cards with the Jokers removed.

2. Choose a row for each player, top or bottom. Each player takes a different row. Also choose a player to go first.

3. Deal out 6 cards in 2 rows, face up.

How to Play

Each player takes turns making a move with a card in a specific position.

The bottom-row player moves the card in the bottom-left position first. That player’s position shifts to the right until it reaches the end, then loops back around once.

The top-row player moves the card in the top-right position first. That player’s position shifts to the left until it reaches the end, then loops back around once.

When a given position is active, the player takes 1 of 3 moves.

For the following, note that diagonals don’t count as “adjacent,” and you cannot wrap around (i.e. the leftmost position cannot stack into the rightmost position or vice versa). “Adjacent” does include any card immediately above, below, to the left, or to the right.

1. Swap: Switch the top card in the current position with the card in any adjacent position.

2.Stack: Place the top card in the current position onto any adjacent position.

2a. If Stacking leaves an empty space, deal a new card into that space, face up.

2b. Only the top card in a position is available, for both scoring and Swapping. If a Swap involves a position with multiple stacked cards, only switch the top card.

2c. Let cards below the top card remain partly visible, even though they are not immediately available.

3. Pass: Leave the card in its current position.

Scoring

The game ends after both players have taken 12 moves. At the end of the game, whichever player can form the better 5-card poker hand using the 6 cards in his row is the winner!